Contact Israel Santiago — Software Engineer

SYSTEM_INIT_v30.03.18

╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║          M.A.I.A. INITIALIZATION PROTOCOL           ║
║          Version 30.03.18 - Quantum Core            ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Welcome to IPS (Israel's Portfolio System)
Please enter initialization command to proceed.

$ █

Available commands:

• system init

• system init --skip-next // Skip initialization on next reload

• system init --skip-now // Go directly to portfolio

Who I am

Hello! I'm a passionate software engineer with 7+ years of experience in web development, specializing in JavaScript and TypeScript. I started as a self-taught programmer, driven by curiosity and a constant desire to grow.

Throughout my career, I've worked on building scalable, high-performance applications, always embracing new technologies to stay ahead.

Beyond coding, I'm a lifelong learner, fluent in English and Spanish, and on a mission to master five languages. I'm also an avid reader, constantly exploring ideas that fuel my creativity.

My dream? To live and work internationally and continue expanding both my professional and personal horizons.

Languages

Education

Systems Engineering Instituto Tecnológico de Tijuana 2015 – 2021 · Graduate & degree holder
Psychology Universidad Humanitas 2022 – 2024 · Truncated — did not finish
Business Administration CETIS 58 High School 2013 – 2015

Tijuana, B.C. México

Open to relocation — US & Europe

Interests

Avid reader — history, sci-fi & science
Fitness & strength training
Family & cat lover
Personal finance & growth
Star Wars & Harry Potter fan

Soft skills

Problem-solvingLeadershipEffective communicationAdaptabilityAttention to detailContinuous learningTime managementResilience

Certifications

Modern GraphQL Udemy · 2022
React for the Rest of Us Udemy · 2021
UI/UX Rules & Fundamentals Udemy · 2021

What I do

Custom Software Development

Unique, scalable products tailored to your business — built collaboratively from idea to launch.

Custom API Development

APIs built from scratch across microservices or monolithic architectures, with a focus on NestJS.

Integration Services

Custom API integrations that connect your existing software and extend what it can do.

E-Commerce

Personalized online stores and seamless checkout experiences, often powered by WordPress / WooCommerce.

Landing Pages & Websites

Engaging, on-brand sites and high-impact landing pages that make a digital presence stand out.

Custom WordPress Plugins

Bespoke plugins that add the exact functionality a site needs — no bloat, no compromises.

JumpCloud Current position

Software Engineer III

Nov 2022 – Present jumpcloud.com

Software Engineer III on JumpCloud's cloud directory platform (IAM, device management, zero-trust), serving as sole front-end owner of Windows Features for 2+ years.

Owned the entire Windows Features front-end solo for 2+ years — policies, groups, and devices.
Built the App Catalog internal app store, letting admins deploy up to 10 apps to devices and groups.
Led front-end on Vue 3, Composition API, Pinia & TypeScript; migrated portals to Tailwind + in-house components.

Vue 3Composition APIPiniaTypeScriptTailwind CSS

PayPal

Software Engineer III

Nov 2022 – Jun 2023 paypal.com/us/brc

Software Engineer III enhancing PayPal's Business Resources Center — shipping reusable UI and faster APIs across a cross-functional team.

Built and maintained an in-house React + TypeScript component library powering BRC interfaces.
Optimized Node/Express APIs to cut response times by 20%.
Onboarded new engineers and raised quality with unit tests in an Agile workflow.

ReactTypeScriptNode.jsExpress

Compass

Software Engineer II

Apr 2022 – Sep 2022 compass.com

Software Engineer II at real-estate tech leader Compass, reimagining the internal deployment pipelines dashboard.

Redesigned the deployment tool UI in React + TypeScript with reusable, duplication-free components.
Shipped new information architecture and homepage that cut support requests by 30%.
Refactored routing and performance alongside backend, backed by robust unit testing.

ReactTypeScript

Creative Software International

Software Engineer

Mar 2020 – Apr 2022 creativesoftware.mx

Joined this Tijuana custom-software studio building WordPress, then promoted to Software Engineer I leading front-end on React / Redux / TypeScript.

Built a real-time WebSockets chat connecting jewelry merchants with their customers.
Shipped a merchant dashboard for inventory, uploads, and sales over REST APIs.
Integrated Stripe + Stripe Connect for multi-merchant payments.

ReactReduxTypeScriptWordPressWebSocketsStripe

heymaia

Founder & CEO

Jan 2016 – Present heymaia.io

Founder & CEO of a custom software studio, leading a multidisciplinary team across healthcare, eCommerce, fashion, food & beverage, education & SaaS.

Built TailorBird, a multi-tenant SaaS on Next.js 15 + NestJS, with 627 tests (~95% coverage).
Shipped Stripe billing, Clerk RBAC & Twilio SMS across multi-location, multi-currency tenants.
Co-built Vite Drive ride-hailing and a call-center dashboard using AI-assisted dev (Claude Code).

Next.jsNestJSAstroPostgreSQLPrismaStripe

Featured Studio

heymaia

My custom software studio

The studio behind the work below — a multidisciplinary team building web, mobile, eCommerce and tailored platforms across many industries. The site itself is built with Astro, Vue, Tailwind and TypeScript.

Featured In development SaaS

TailorBird

Multi-tenant SaaS for tailor shops

Architected and built from scratch — a Turborepo monorepo housing a Next.js 15 frontend, a NestJS backend and a VitePress docs site on PostgreSQL/Prisma. Stripe subscription billing with usage limits, Clerk role-based access, Twilio SMS, and multi-location / multi-currency orders.

627 automated tests
~95% coverage
99% backend · 91% frontend

Featured Platform

Vite Drive

Ride-hailing platform

Co-developed a complete ride-hailing platform — personally responsible for the full admin dashboard in Next.js and back-end contributions in NestJS.

Featured CSC Solutions Software

Agents Management System

Call-center agent, client & campaign platform

A management system for a call center where every campaign is unique and can require a different agent profile across skills, experience and function. Includes typing tests, voice tests, video recording, internet-speed checks and automated agent recommendations for new campaigns. Led front-end and contributed to the API; now driving the 2.0 redesign.

Featured Sastrería Hocalis Software

Order Management System

Tailor-shop order tracking + customer portal

A private, responsive order-management platform for a Tijuana tailor shop: real-time data and auth with Firebase, an order-tracking workflow, a customer portal for order history, and WhatsApp notifications when an order is ready.

Client work

Sastrería Hocalis — Website

Sastrería Hocalis

Bespoke-tailoring booking site

A modern, responsive website for a renowned Tijuana tailor shop — showcasing its bespoke services with online appointment booking and a gallery of custom work, built with React + TypeScript and Firebase.

Vetlook

Software

Veterinary app, website & admin dashboard

Rebuilt a struggling veterinary platform — rewrote ~70% of an inherited mobile-app codebase and delivered a marketing website plus an admin dashboard for managing users, payments and an internal “animal wiki”, with Stripe payments.

Bay 2 Bay Office Solutions

E-commerce

Used-office-furniture eCommerce

First international client (San Jose, California). Replaced an underperforming site with a WooCommerce storefront that has driven steady online sales since launch.

Wines Manager Plugin

Vinícola La Nuestra

Self-service catalog plugin + landing

A custom React + WordPress plugin letting the winery create, edit and delete wines and prices without touching a page builder, alongside a clean landing page for the brand.

Restaurant Menu Plugin

Oryx Restaurante

Bilingual menu manager + storefront

A WordPress plugin to categorize and display dishes and drinks in English and Spanish via a single shortcode — easy for staff to keep updated — plus a full site redesign.

Notaría 5

Plugin

Dynamic legal-forms plugin

A custom WordPress plugin that surfaces the right intake forms depending on the legal service a visitor selects, mirroring the office’s paper workflows.

Paula Flores — Artist

Website

Portfolio for a Mexican artist in Austria

A bespoke artist website built to feel like the work itself — abstract, original and intentional. The most design-led brief I’ve taken, demanding an artist’s eye over a developer’s defaults.

Ateneo Universitario

Website

University website redesign

A full redesign delivered in under a month ahead of the enrollment period, modernizing a dated site for a higher-education client.

Downtown Dental Clinic

Website

Dental-tourism clinic site

A site for a Tijuana clinic serving cross-border “dental tourism” patients from the US — currently being taken through a fresh redesign.

Rasa Estructuras

Website

Construction firm site + corporate identity

Website plus a new corporate identity (with my brother, a graphic designer) for a Tijuana structural-construction company.

Dr. Carlos Vila — Surgeon

Website

General & laparoscopic surgery practice

A practice site for a board-certified general and laparoscopic surgeon in Tijuana — presenting minimally-invasive, bariatric and hernia procedures with clear, reassuring information and financing options.

Max Logistic Services

Website

Binational freight & logistics

A corporate site for a Tijuana-based land-freight company moving cargo across the Mexico–US border — express, dry-box, flatbed and hazmat services, with real-time shipment tracking.

Enlace Express

Website

Immigration & consular services agency

A bilingual site for a document-processing agency helping US-based clients with Mexican passports, visas, citizenship and consular paperwork — built to make a dense service catalog easy to navigate.

The Grill Gallery

Website

Fine-dining steakhouse & bar

A bilingual site for an upscale Tijuana steakhouse pairing premium cuts and craft cocktails with a contemporary art-gallery concept.

Otorrino Tijuana

Website

My first project — rebuilt on Astro

My first paid project (2016) and still the best-ranked one I’ve built — it consistently tops search for its specialty in Tijuana. Since rebuilt with Astro, dropping WordPress for a faster, leaner site.